One of my favorite jokes ever needs must be told at this time of year:

"What did one snowman say to the other?"

"Is it just me, or do you smell carrots?"

Did you hear the news? The Today Show featured a segment on great holiday gifts TODAY and one of the spotlights was giving the gift of coaching!

As a member of the ICF, I received a bulletin to this effect on Monday, which I believe to be a tremendously great piece of work. I hope to be able to get my paws on the TV segment itself to share with you later, but for now, suffice to say this news definitely made me take a second look.

Apparently the ICF had been working with the Today Show on this for quite some time, and in doing so has put a definitive feather in their cap.

Contemplating this, I had several questions sizzle up in my brain, so I enlisted the help of the inimitable Suzanne Falter-Barns, author of 'Get Known Now' and asked her the below questions. Click the play button below to hear her replies, and smile as I did at the prospect of this lovely ripple effect for all of us.

(It's just under 10 minutes)

Here are the questions I had for Suzanne.

Suzanne, what does this mean for coaching, do you think? (What kind of viewership does the Today Show have?)

Do you have any idea what number of people tend to act as a result of seeing or hearing something on a radio show or tv show? I know it depends but what is your experience. If we were to extrapolate from the idea that X number of people viewed this episode and even a teeny percentage acts on something they saw...

As the 'go-to' person for media packaging in the coaching, consulting, and other arenas, what do you think was involved with the ICF Communications Department working with the Today Show?

Part of the announcement the ICF made to members is a downloadable, customize-able media release that members can use with local media, piggybacking on the exposure. They've made this really easy, Suzanne! So how will it work? Will sending out the release really mean more real people hiring coaches?

The last thing the ICF included is a sample gift certificate they recommended could be used by coaches-in-the-know, to people to buy the gift of coaching for loved ones. I think this is genius. What other ideas are possible from the point of view of maximizing this television exposure?

I'm thinking we'll actually be able to see a spike in internet searches being done for the major keywords such as 'coach' 'hire a coach' 'coaching gift certificate' in the days after the show. Those coaches who are playing a big game with Google Adwords can likely pick up some good traffic. If you yourself were to maximize on that as a practicing coach, what might you do as a first step?

Once again, click above to hear the 10 minute recording - brief and to the point - and see whether there's something here for you to make hay with.

And, if the mood strikes, take a moment to post follow-up questions, ideas, or just plain hold brainstorming energy around this 'win.' Suzanne has kindly agreed to 'hold court' here with whatever answers she can provide - yay!

On that note, a great big thank you to 'S' as I call her, for entertaining my curiosity about this, and a giant thank you to the ICF. If this kind of member benefit arouses your interest in becoming a member of this organization, here is the link to their website along with a more specific link to the membership benefits page.

http://www.CoachFederation.org

http://tinyurl.com/ye9pfo

By the way...I consider it seriously cool to have a colleague like Suzanne. If you have someone in your life like this, grab hold!

I know it makes me a more powerful coach to know her, and without a doubt a bigger asset to the people I seek to support. People I work with get value from me knowing her, and, I think, same goes for her. I mean, when there is just SO much to know, that one person just can't know it all, it's a true gift to have friends like these. Besides, she makes me laugh out loud.

Which is why I'm thrilled she's agreed to enter into a large-ish venture with me - it's something I definitely could not and would not have tried to continue alone. And it's something that could only be brought together in this iteration, by the two of us, at this moment in time.

If you're someone who's been getting increasingly tired of how much sheer information there is 'out there' and would like a way to easily and inexpensively slip through the undergrowth to get to the lovely blue pond in the middle of a clearing, where the sun shines on your face and the breeze is on your back? You're like me, and I've been musing on how to make that possible with friends like Suzanne for the better part of the year.

So stay tuned early next week when I'll raise the curtain on a very special project. It's the culmination of what I've been calling '2006: The Year Coaches Learned to Hold Hands.'

You don't mind if I tell everyone we're holding hands, do you Suzanne? ;-)

P.S. Are you curious about how I came to 'select' Suzanne as a strategic partner? In a certain way we actually 'selected each other,' and I'm polishing off an article that addresses this question in a rather personal way. Think of it as a crib sheet of sorts that you can adapt for your own business.

If you're curious about this and other articles, raise your hand to be notified as soon as they come out. Just fill in your name and email at top left. (Look under Tina's photo.)

It does the heart so. much. good. to witness so much profitable and purposeful 'hand-holding' and 'joint venturing' in the coaching industry this year.

I believe we are a much more resilient, more fortified industry at the end of 2006 as a result. And if I have my way, a few more of you will read the next posts, watch closely as Suzanne and I walk our talk, and begin thinking seriously about collaborating with people you *think* may be your competitors, to enlargen the pie for all.